Pillars of Northwest suburbs' hospitality industry saluted
Four members of the Northwest suburbs' hospitality industry as well as recently retired Schaumburg Village President Al Larson were honored for their contributions to the tourism appeal of the region Wednesday during National Travel and Tourism Week.
The recognitions occurred during the annual partnership meeting of Meet Chicago Northwest, the tourism and visitors bureau serving Arlington Heights, Elk Grove Village, Itasca, Rolling Meadows, Roselle, Schaumburg, Streamwood and Wood Dale.
The organization's outgoing chairman, Chicago Prime Restaurants owner Andy-John Kalkounos, saluted the absent Larson for his support over the years as well as such specific additions to the area as the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel that hosted the event, Schaumburg Boomers Stadium, the new tollway access at Meacham Road, the Schweikher House, Trickster Art Gallery and the village's acquisition of Schaumburg Regional Airport.
He also praised Larson for the local impact he had by advocating a quote from former Charleston, South Carolina, Mayor Joseph Riley Jr., who founded the Mayors' Institute on City Design: “Don't be afraid to bring beauty into the public realm.”
“Mayor Larson, thank you for bringing so much beauty into our lives,” Kalkounos said.
For their individual contributions to the area's tourism over the past year, Sarah Billmeyer of the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg Chicago was named Sales Leader of the Year, Antoinette Gonzales of Aries Charter the Service Leader of the Year and Maral Sosi Abrahamian of Westin Chicago Northwest the Support Leader of the Year.
Kalkounos presented the Chairman's Award to Linda Karch, who recently retired as a bartender at the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg after 36½ years — longer than Larson's 32 as village president.
“It's been a privilege to get to know her over the years,” Kalkounos said. “She's been an exemplary example of hospitality. It comes from the inside. You can't fake it.”
Kalkounos said Karch is doing well in a fight against metastatic breast cancer.
Karch herself said that this wasn't the career path she originally envisaged with a psychology degree, but that she got hooked by the hospitality industry after recognizing it as a way she could work part-time and nights while raising her children with a husband who worked during the day.
“I'm very humbled by this,” she said of her award. “I love what I was doing for the past 36½ years. It's a great business, the hospitality industry.”
Meet Chicago Northwest's newly elected Chairman Dieter Heigl, general manager of the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel, also saluted his predecessor for Kalkounos' three years of leading the organization's executive committee and board.